Car-spragger.



are shown as free, this position of the parts UNITED STATESv BERTRAM BRI'ITON, Ol?v HARMONY, INDIANA.

Patented January 31, 190-5.

` .GAR-SPRAGGER.

SPECIFICATION forming part off'Letters Patent No.y '781,396fdate'd January 31, 1905. Application filed September 12,1904. Serial No. 22412-00- 'To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that 1I, BERTRAM BRITToN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Harmony, in the county of Clay and State of lIn diana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Car-Spraggers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has relation to means for impeding the movement of a car by entirely checking the motion of the wheels and generally termed a spraggen It is the object of 'my invention to provide such improvements 1n car-spragging attachments to cars as will render them more certain, and hence more safe in their operations than heretofore, and also to place the spragging attachment to all intents and purposes entirely out of the way in using the car, so that it may not Abe an interfering means nor be accidentally interfered with.

' The invention consists of the improvements in car spragging devices hereinafter described in view of the annexed drawings, forminga part of this specification, in which- AFigure lis a bottom view of a car provided with my improved car-spragging attachment, the Wheels on one side ,being represented as spragged, while upon the opposite side they being simply chosen to facilitate thel giving of a clear explanation of the construction and mode of operation ofthe invention. Fig. 2-

is anend view of the car. Fig'. 3 is an inside View in perspective of one of the car-wheels,

showing it 'as engaged by'a sp'r'agger.A

Similarsyrnbols of reference designate similar parts'or features, as the casev maybe,

wherever they occur.

In the drawings, l designates a car-body, and 2 the wheels adapted to turn upon or with the axles 3. These may be of the construction shown or of any other suited'y to the circumstances, excepting ,that in all cases the wheels on their inner sides must be provided with the grooves 4 and stopsin said grooves or with equivalent features. All parts of the attachment requiring support vertically are supported, so that it will not be necessary to refer to each of these parts specifically.

v` On each side of the car-bottom and extending longitudinally thereof is a shifting bar 6, which is offset or bent atpoints, if need be, in order not to interfere with constituent parts of the car, and eachV of said bars is at onetend -connected with the lower end of a crank-rod 7 through theV intervention of a link 8. The crank-rods are vertically arranged in suitable bearings at one end of the car, as is clearly shown in Fig. 2, and they are squared at their uppery ends 9, so that a key, crank, wrench-'like arm, or other suitable means may be applied thereto to turn them to a limited extent, and so shift the bars 6 to and fro, as will be understood without further explanation. By this means of operating the shifting bars when the latter operation is notn'ecessary the cranks can be removed and the car "the full length ofthe car and is provided on the end opposite to that at which it is attached to the link 8 with a bell-crank lever l0, which is connected with a sprag 11, which upon the shifting of the bar' is operated so as to be moved into the groove 4: formed on the inner face of the wheel 2 and so as to engage the stops 5 and prevent the rotation .of the wheels, or be withdrawn from the said groove, So that vthe wheel may be moved without interference .Supposing the wheel just spoken, of to be the rear wheel'of the car,

fthe longer bar, is provided witha like bellcrank lever and s prag near the center of the car, which is adapted to be operated in a manner like that just described in order to control the operation of the front wheel in unison with therear wheel.

the car could readily-be provided at both ends with crankrods connected with the shifting bar, so as to operate the latter from either end. The shorter shifting bar, like the longer, is provided with bell -crank levers 10 and sprags l1 to control the operation on the side of the car upon'which it is located and to per- It will now be seen that IOO form these functions in a similar way to the longer bar. It is made shorter than its fellow shifting bar, for the reason that it is arranged to operate upon its Wheels from the sides of the same nearer the front end,while the former bar operates upon its Wheels on the sides nearer the rear end. The sprags of the shorter bar are shown as in engagement. with its Wheels, so as to stop their movement or rotation entirely, While those of the longer bar are represented as out of engagement With its Wheels to permit-them to rotate freely.

It is proposed in operation to have both shifting oars of the same length, to be equipped with the same means, and to be operated in unison or not as desired. The difference in the construction, position, and form shown in the present case is for the purpose of indicating some of the variations in details that may be availed of in the construction and use of my improvements Without departing from its nature or spirit. However, it Would loe entirely consistent With my improvements to have the shifting bars of different lengths, as represented in the drawings, or to use but one shifting har if that alone would suiiice on a lightly-loaded car, or to equip the car so that the shifting hars might he operated from either or both ends.

I claimn The coxnhinatiomwith a car-spragging device adapted to be moved into and out oi engagement with the wheels to stop or release them, of-a longitudinally-movable shifting bar provided with bell -crank levers to move the spragging devices into and out of engagement with the wheels, avertcal rod arranged at the enel of the car and constructed at its upper end to receive a key or crank to rock the same, and operative connections between said rod and shifting bar to operate the latter.

in testimony whereof l have signed my name to this specilication in the presence oi two subscribing witnesses.

BERTRAM BRITTON. Witnesses:

ERNEST BAYER, ELZA BRooKs. 

